A statement from the Mamamia Women’s Network about Marriage Equality.

Today, the Mamamia Women’s Network is proud to display our company logo amongst the prominent Australian businesses who have taken ads out in major national newspapers loudly stating our support for marriage equality.

The Mamamia Women’s Network have campaigned for marriage equality actively and consistently for many years, ever since we were a personal blog operating out of Mia Freedman’s lounge room.

We have always passionately advocated for every Australian adult to be able to legally marry the person they love. The fact that it isn’t currently the case should be a source of great shame to our politicians.

A photo posted by Mia Freedman (@miafreedman) on May 28, 2015 at 7:59pm PDT

Fun fact: when the US Supreme Court legalised interracial marriage in 1967, a whopping 70% of Americans strongly disagreed. It happened anyway. So when politicians hide behind public opinion polls, it’s disingenuous. And cowardly. Sometimes you have to do what’s right – not what’s popular – and public opinion inevitably catches up.

But here’s the bizarre thing. Public opinion in this country is resoundingly in favour of granting marriage to same sex couples. All the major opinion polls from reputable agencies over the past few years have pointed to nation-wide support that currently sits at around 75 percent in FAVOUR of marriage equality.

So what we have now is a case of our leaders snatching a civil rights defeat from the jaws of victory.

The message is loud and clear but we’re living in a remarkable and peculiar time when our leaders want to defy public opinions to keep human rights from growing and spreading, as they have done throughout the ages.

Against considerable turmoil, the following has happened:

In 1902, Australian women were granted the right to vote.

In 1962, Indigenous Australians were granted the right to vote.

In 1997, Tasmania became the last state to decriminalise homosexuality.

Well, it’s all just a little bit of history repeating, isn’t it? We will surely look back at our history and wonder how we could have made it all the way to 2015 without granting all consenting adult Australians the right to marry.

It’s not good enough. There’s still no logical, sensible reason why marriage can’t be granted to all.

Maybe it’s about tradition?

But tradition is an oppressive beast.

If we followed tradition, women wouldn’t have the vote and neither would Indigenous Australians.

“We will continue to make noise until marriage equality is a reality in Australia. That’s a promise.”

Tradition isn’t an argument for anything. It’s an argument against change. The kind of change that transforms lives.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to start making some noise, start taking action. Start showing politicians who are blocking legislative change that they are the wrong side of history, the wrong side of public opinion and the wrong side of human rights.

At the Mamamia Women’s Network, we will continue to make noise until marriage equality is a reality in Australia. That’s a promise.